Cashiered

Under orders from Washington to erase the stigma of the disciplinary night march that resulted in the death of six recruits a year ago, the top brass of the Parris Island training base have been quick to court-martial drill instructors accused of mistreating their recruits. Last month Corporal William R. Walsh, the eleventh D.I. charged within a year, was found guilty of illegally "touching" 18-year-old Boot David Lee Porter. Sentenced to 30 days at hard labor, fined $120 and broken to private, Walsh took his punishment like a Marine. But there was someone else at Parris Island who did not.

Brooding over the court-martial of the best D.I. in his Platoon 399, Lieut. William D. Conroy, 26, strode four days later into the platoon barracks, found Recruit Porter and slugged him. Last week at Parris Island, in the same courtroom where Staff Sergeant Matthew McKeon had stood trial for the death march into the boondocks (TIME, July 30; Aug. 13), another court-martial convened. Lieut. Conroy, a regular officer, pleaded guilty to conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. After deliberating 50 minutes, a general court ordered him dismissed from the service.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.